


Daze [Discontinued] [Being rewritten]

by ArchitectOfGods (orphan_account)



Category: Naruto
Genre: Dissociation, I tried 2 make Sakura suck less, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Self-Harm
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-19
Updated: 2017-02-18
Packaged: 2018-09-09 19:31:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8909203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/ArchitectOfGods
Summary: Sometimes he feels like he's floating.He wonders how he lasted this long.Everyone else died, why didn't he?





	1. Chapter One: Team Seven (And Gai)

He was maybe 70% sure he was supposed to be somewhere.  
Kakashi gazed down at the Memorial stone with bleak eyes, his throat felt sore with overuse and he didn't quite recall what he'd said.  
Straightening up, Kakashi hesitates for a moment, unsure of what to do.  
After several long moments, he moves, making his way towards where he generally met with his team.  
He hadn't wanted Genin, it had been a surprise when they had passed his test.  
The bridge came into sight, anxiety stirred in the pit of his stomach, even as he looked entirely calm to anyone observing him.  
Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto all sat on the bridge, Sakura was doing something to her hair, while Naruto was leaned over the edge of the bridge, throwing small stones.  
Immediately Naruto straightened up on spotting Kakashi, he went to yell but halted at the sight of Kakashi raising one hand.  
Sakura looked curious, while Sasuke seemed entirely uninterested, as he often did.  
Kakashi allowed his close eyed smile to spread across his face, his open hand still held up, 'Sorry, I'm late, I got held up on the path of life.'  
A quiet sound of frustration escapes Naruto, but he doesn't comment.  
'What are we doing today, Kakashi-sensei?' requests Sakura, who has now moved to a standing position.  
Kakashi blinks, then walks forward, across the bridge, knowing his team will follow after him, 'Training,' he says, his voice sounds distant even to him, and he figures if he sets them up to practice throwing kunei and shuriken, they won't have time to comment on his behavior.  
Not that Naruto's ever been very observant, and Sasuke has never particularly shown enough interest to comment on anything outside of his own head.  
A sigh escapes Kakashi, much to his own distaste, his hands feel empty, and he almost sighs again as he realizes he has left his book at home.  
None of the Genin protest when they're instructed to practice to improve their aim, but Sasuke is notably bored.  
Doubt thrums through Kakashi's veins, he isn't good enough for this team, not at all. Minato would have wanted a better sensei for his only son.  
His arms itch, Kakashi keeps himself from itching, leans against a tree trunk, pretends to watch his team training.  
As the day drags on, the air seems to warm up, but Kakashi doesn't really feel it, he doesn't really feel anything as he stares at nothing.  
It's a relief really, to be feeling so distant from himself.  
But before long, someone tries to interrupt his thoughts.  
He blinks dazedly as Sakura pulls at his sleeve patiently, she has the largest green eyes, she seems frustrated, 'Kakashi-sensei?? Are you listening? It's lunch time, we're going to get ramen.'  
Kakashi forces himself to nod in response, waves his team off, Sakura's eyes narrow just slightly, and then he's being pulled along.  
Had he felt a little more connected to his body, he was sure she wouldn't be able to tug him along like this.  
Sasuke doesn't comment on the sight, while Naruto just chatters easily about ramen.  
It's easy to be around Naruto, he's so endlessly bright that it's easy to leave the talking to him.  
Sakura automatically ordered for Kakashi, and he felt a stutter of confusion through his mind, but he didn't protest.  
He flexed his hands, and watched how the skin moved, sometimes he hated the thought of bones under skin, it made him think of bones shattering.  
He thinks the ramen is hot, he isn't sure, his hands are on the bowl, and he doesn't feel it, but the steam rising from the bowl tells him the heat should be hurting his hands.  
Still, he doesn't move them, even as the easy chatter of his team fades into the background.  
The sound of someone dropping a glass prompts Kakashi into moving, he idly picks at his food, still not quite yet connected enough to his body.  
He absently pays for all of his team without thinking about it, doesn't notice the look of surprise in Sakura's eyes.  
Then they're heading back to training, and Kakashi feels like he is settling back into his skin.  
His skin is cold, and he wishes he was back by the Memorial stone.  
Sasuke and Naruto start sparring when prompted, the blond is still bad at taijutsu, Kakashi corrects him a few times, notes some places where Naruto has improved.  
Sakura sets training for herself while the males of her team are distracted, alternating between using chakra to walk up trees and doing physical exercise such as sit ups and squats.  
She's aware that even for her age, she's lacking in physical strength.  
A part of her wants to give up, settle at the base of a tree and watch Sasuke, but she's on his team now, she's got years ahead of seeing him, and if she wants him to notice her, then she needs to be a better ninja.  
She contemplates asking Kakashi for extra training, but her sensei seems distant as he observes Sasuke and Naruto sparring.  
Perhaps she'll ask when he seems more . . .himself.  
  
\--------============---------  
  
He woke with a gasp, red eye glowing in the dark of his room.  
Kakashi tried to brush off the remains of the nightmare but instead found himself gasping for breath, he tore himself free of his bed sheets and was out the window in moments, ignoring the fact he was still dressed in his sleepwear.  
He pulled his mask up to cover his face as he leaped from building to building, the motion kept him from gasping and his legs burned with the suddenness of it.  
Once he reached the Memorial stone, it seemed his legs couldn't hold him anymore, and he felt them crumble beneath him.  
Pressing both hands against his stomach, Kakashi remained on his knees, gazing at the stone before him.  
The night air felt nice against his sweaty skin.  
'Kakashi?' a voice interrupted his thoughts.  
The copy cat nin didn't move, remained silent, hoping this intruder would leave him be.  
Instead he felt a hand on his shoulder, he expected to hear his name spoken again, but instead the night remained silent.  
His clothes were probably dirty, kneeling on the dirt as he was, Kakashi tilted his head back to gaze up at Gai but didn't make any comment.  
Gai had been quietly gazing at the Memorial stone, but now he turned his attention back to Kakashi, 'Come on,' his voice is quiet as he kneels, wraps an arm around Kakashi's middle to pull the silver haired ninja to his feet.  
Kakashi doesn't protest as he's practically dragged back to his small apartment, Gai seems to easily avoid all his traps, having been to his apartment numerous times.  
'Will you be okay?' asks Gai, once Kakashi is in clean sleepwear and perched on the edge of his bed.  
The silver haired ninja doesn't respond, staring vacantly at his empty hands.  
Gai blinks, pulls a small bottle of hand lotion from one of the nearby drawers, he quietly squeezes some of it onto Kakashi's palm, and the male automatically rubs it into his hands.  
'Thank you,' Kakashi's voice is a quiet murmur, he hates how he feels like he's going to sink into the floor with the weight of his thoughts.  
A sigh drags its way out of Gai, then he's setting the hand lotion down and climbing into Kakashi's bed, not waiting for Kakashi to lie down, he closes his eyes, adjusts his breathing to seem asleep. Such a trick wouldn't normally work on Kakashi, but it does tonight.  
Kakashi waits several long minutes before laying down so his back is pressed against Gai's back, even Gai can acknowledge the feeling of another against his back is comforting.  
The pair lie in silence, waiting for the sun to rise.


	2. Chapter 2

He knows it was a bad idea to return to his apartment after visiting the Memorial stone.  
It was a worse idea to have a bath.  
The water is growing cold, and is red with blood.  
Kakashi listlessly lays in the cold water, one hand hanging over the edge of the tub.  
He draws in a deep sigh and closes his eye. He was supposed to meet his Genin today, but now he doesn't suppose he will.  
This will be the first time he's just not shown up.  
After an hour, Kakashi dozes off.  
It's nice to sleep. The coldness of the water keeps his mind drifting towards nightmares, the stinging of his thighs stops him sleeping deeply.  
Until there's a loud pounding on his door.  
Kakashi blearily opens his eye, his hand that isn't in the water looks paler than usual, he clenches it into a fist for a moment.  
The door opens moments later, and Kakashi drags up the memory of not locking his door.  
He hadn't forgotten to, he just hadn't cared.  
'Kakashi?' Naruto, sounding bright as always.  
Kakashi forces himself to sit up, gaze on his thighs, he can't let his students see him like this, sitting in cold water stained with his own blood.  
'Hold on,' his voice is weak even to his own ears, 'I'll be out in a moment.'  
He hears the footsteps of his Genin pause, knows they are glancing each other, each expression conveying some message he cannot see right now.  
The bathroom door opens before Kakashi can bring himself to move, he doesn't look to see who it is, but he hears the feminine gasp, hears her slam the door shut behind her before Naruto and Sasuke can see.  
Kakashi forces himself to raise his head, tilt it to the side, meet Sakura's gaze.  
Her eyes are wide, and the green in them is as striking as ever.  
She reminds him of Rin.  
Then Sakura is at his side, 'Can you stand?' she asks, pulling a towel from it's shelf, she's ignoring how the water immediately soaks into it as she places it across his lap.  
Kakashi feels sluggish as he nods, Sakura turns away to get a first aid kid from the cupboard as Kakashi stands.  
She feels a low hum of anger strumming through her veins, she's angry that she has to fix her sensei up like this.  
He was supposed to train her, and make her strong, but he couldn't even stand strong himself.  
The silver haired ninja quietly dried himself off before perching on the edge of the tub and allowing Sakura to clean up the deep wounds that curl from one side of his thigh to the other.  
It hurts to walk, but he dresses and leaves the bathroom with Sakura, ignores Naruto's curious gaze.  
'Ramen?' he forces the word out, his eyes show a false smile, 'My treat.'  
Immediately Naruto perks up, and they're outside, 'I was worried you'd been randomly sent out of village or something,' chatters Naruto, his gaze isn't on Kakashi, 'Did you forget you were supposed to meet us? Huh, guess it doesn't matter, cause we're getting ramen now, I love ramen, I had it for breakfast, you know,' he pauses at the sound of his own stomach protesting, 'We didn't have lunch, we were waiting for you,' then he's off rambling again, not allowing anyone else to get a word in.  
Kakashi pulls a bottle of hand lotion from his pocket, absently rubbing it into his hands, he passes it off to a surprised Sakura, who quietly accepts and puts some on her hands, she pauses before rubbing it in, taking a deep breath to smell the scent of it. Musky.  
  
\-------==========---------  
  
Kakashi remains silent weeks later when Naruto demands a more difficult mission.  
They had spent weeks training, he'd pushed them harder, tried to remain inside his own body.  
The easy missions are holding his team back, he's holding his team back, Kakashi is constantly aware of this, he isn't good enough for Minato's son, not good enough for the last Uchiha, and not good enough for Sakura, who is a good ninja but will always be out shined by the bright light that is Naruto, and the steady determination that is Sasuke.  
He almost doesn't hear it when the Hokage concedes and assigns them a higher ranked mission.  
Almost doesn't notice when the old man enters the room, immediately the old man is bothered by the sight of the team that will be escorting him.  
Kakashi doesn't comment, but he does grab the back of Naruto's shirt, preventing the young genin from attacking the man they've been assigned to protect.  
He forces his eyes to convey a smile as he splits off from his team, heading to his apartment to pack a bag ready for the mission.  
He isn't sure how long the mission will take, isn't sure he cares. He's doubtful Naruto or Sasuke care, either. Neither have anyone to return home to.  
His head is swimming, and he can feel words pouring from his mouth, the ground under his feet is solid, and he smiles with his eyes at Naruto.  
When they pass by a puddle, Kakashi almost doesn't notice it. He feels a dull thrum of alarm, doesn't move. Doesn't comment. His gaze seeks out Sakura automatically, she raises an eyebrow, at times like this she seems older than she really is.  
This thought is a burden on Kakashi's mind, and he doesn't doubt that the pink haired genin considers him to be a burden also.  
Sakura notices the puddle and her eyes widen, she stirs her teammates into watchfulness, and when two ninja leap free of the puddle, they are ready, and tackle it as a team.  
Kakashi couldn't have been prouder.  
He dully observes that Tazuna is the target, he moves forward to question the remaining ninja. Doesn't hesitate to slit the males throat when he has the information he needs.  
There's an emotion to Sasuke's eyes that Kakashi can't read, so instead he turns away, runs a casual eye over Sakura and Naruto to check for injuries.  
Both are fine and the team moves forward, Kakashi ignores how Tazuna glances around.  
Sasuke disappears into the trees above after another twenty minutes of walking, practicing his chakra control as he leaps from tree to tree. A part of Kakashi is sure he should be calling the male down, telling him to stop being so childish, they have a mission to do.  
He says nothing.  
Naruto is watchful, his gaze scanning the ground around them as he walks, but not in an obvious way, and Kakashi quietly feels proud.  
The blonde is still prone to outbursts of childishness, but Kakashi finds he doesn't mind.  
They arrive at the water separating them from their destination, and Kakashi's bones feels cold as he gazes out over the water, he can't see very far, as the mist hangs thick in the air.  
He can faintly feel Sakura's small hand on his lower back, her hand still holds the traces of chub that signify her young age, and Kakashi feels disgust twirl through his stomach at the fact ninja so seldom have proper childhoods.  
They board a boat, Kakashi sits at the back, looking lazy and relaxed. The only thing to betray any idea of how his thoughts spin is his shaking hand, which he keeps out of sight.  
Tazuna is wary of telling his story, but he does, speaking of a small short man who keeps the people of his home poor, of how his bridge will free them.  
Sakura can't help but feel sorry for the man and his village, she gazes into the fog around them, expression passive.  
She can't help but think of Kakashi and how she had found him in the bath, the thoughts swirl around in her mind, of how shocked she'd been that her sensei wasn't as cool and collected as he always seemed.  
She didn't want Naruto and Sasuke to see that weakness in their sensei, so clenching her fists, she resolved to get stronger, and do all she could to hold Team Seven together.  
  
\--------==========---------  
  
Kakashi doesn't want to speak, but this confrontation with Zabuza forces the words out of him, he's extremely aware of how fear strums through Sasuke's body, aware of Sakura's level gaze on his back.  
They're his, his students, it has to protect them.  
He failed Rin, and he failed Obito, his heart aches at the thought, but he wont fail this team.  
His attacks pick up speed as he allows determination to fuel him.  
'I'm not sure all I heard about you was accurate,' sneers Zabuza, swinging his large sword towards Kakashi, it's almost too easy to duck under it.  
Kakashi flashes one of his false eye smiles, is caught by surprise when he suddenly finds himself in a bubble.  
He blinks in surprise, his Sharingan is uncovered, and the extra he can see because of it almost feels overwhelming, he watches as Sasuke and Naruto step forward, prepared to fight.  
He's surprised when the pair share a look, and actually work together.  
Sakura is at Kakashi's side in an instant as he's freed of the bubble, he locks gazes with her for a moment before his gaze goes to Tazuna, assuring himself that someone is still by his side. Naruto holds a kunei in one hand as he stands at Tazuna's side, looking impatient, clearly wanting to join the fight.  
Taking a deep breath, Kakashi launches himself forward, going on the offensive, determined to defend his team, they will come out on top of this mission.  
Zabuza swings himself out of the way, goes low and hefts his large sword so the blade is coming straight for Kakashi's waist, the jounin barely manages to leap up in time, flipping forward over both the blade and Zabuza.  
Apparently Zabuza was prepared for this outcome, as he comes to a halt, and seems to far too easily stop the swing of his sword, glancing over his shoulder he prepares a jutsu.  
Kakashi is frozen to the spot as Sakura is immediately flinging herself forward, getting between Kakashi and the large water dragon heading for him. All he can see is how Rin had jumped in front of him, how his  . . .   
'Cha!' cries Sakura, lunging at the water dragon with a chakra charged fist, as water sprays around, Kakashi stares with wide eyes.  
Glancing over her shoulder, Sakura hesitates, she's panting for breath, having not quite been ready to do that move.  
Sasuke moves forward, Naruto at his side as Sakura returns to Tazuna's side, but before either Genin can do anything, Zabuza slumps to the ground, Sakura spots the senbon in his neck.  
A masked ninja joins them, tone polite as they explain that they'll be disposing of the body, Sakura cant see the ninja's face, but she gets the impression they're smiling.  
Kakashi's head is swimming as he watches the ninja leap away, Zabuza's body slung over one shoulder.  
'Sensei?' Sakura sounds cautious, a yelp escapes Naruto as Kakashi collapses.


	3. Chapter 3

[[Link to source of art]](http://abz-j-harding.deviantart.com/art/Kakashi-Ketsurui-323715758)  
  
His head feels fuzzy, and pain thrums through his limbs.  
He doesn't open his eyes, doesn't want to. He's sure his team is dead, he's unsure why, but he's sure he's let them down again.  
'Kakashi?' a voice interrupts his thoughts, he ignores it, dwelling in self pity instead, is there even any point in returning to Konoha without his team?  
Apparently the voice is rather persistent, as it interrupts his thoughts once again, more insistent this time, 'Kakashi-sensei!'  
The voice is feminine, and Kakashi tries to push fogginess out of his brain, opens his eye, pink is the first thing he sees and he can't help the relief that floods through him as Sakura's face comes into focus.  
He tries to pull himself into a sitting position, but Sakura immediately stops him with a hand on his shoulder, with her free hand she gestures to someone he can't see, and moments later, Sasuke and Naruto come into sight.  
Naruto is bouncing on the spot, still a bundle of energy apparently, while Sasuke looks faintly disinterested.  
'I was thinking,' starts Sakura, she hesitates, looking slightly nervous, Kakashi feels like he should reassure her, but he can't bring himself to speak.   
Sakura's gaze slides to Naruto for a moment, but she still continues, 'That ninja, they took Zabuza's body away, but that makes no sense, they could have disposed of the body then and there, so I think Zabuza is still alive.' Naruto nods in agreement rather rapidly, but Kakashi has the idea that he doesn't particularly agree with her, or understand her meaning.  
The idea seems to stutter through Kakashi's mind, but he eventually nods, agrees with her, 'I'm unsure how recovered I'll be by time he confronts us again, so you all will just have to train even more,' he beams his close eyed smile, not much of a smile, as his lips remain unmoved, a firm straight line under his mask.  
'How will you train us when you can't even get out of bed?' questions Sakura, looking concerned.  
Kakashi hesitates, tries to gauge how he feels, 'I should be out of bed by tomorrow, so Sakura, you can spend today working on physical training, and you, Naruto and Sasuke, can work on chakra control.'  
He doesn't bother instructing Sakura to work on chakra control, she's already more advanced at it than both her teammates, and with the fact her chakra reserves are low compared to theirs, it'll probably come in handy. Meanwhile, she's still lacking in physical strength, he supposes their team is sort of balanced if you consider those aspects alone.  
Naruto and Sasuke lacking in chakra control, having Sakura to balance them out, while they balance out her physical weakness.  
  


\--------============---------  
  
Sakura has a little distance between herself and her two teammates as she trains, she's been alternating between doing a few different things, but is now pushing herself to do sit ups for as long as she can.  
She's horribly aware of Kakashi's presence at the edge of the grounds they've claimed for training. Not that his attention is on any of them.  
She pauses to capture her breath, and drink from the water bottle she's taken to carrying around.  
Kakashi is slumped against a tree, he looks almost boneless as he stares at nothing.  
She's not quite sure she understands what's going on with Kakashi most of the time. He never seems quite there.  
She resumes training, idly watches as the sky slowly darkens.  
Sakura stops training long before Sasuke and Naruto, she wonders if the pair ever run out of energy.  
Both males seem to be getting frustrated, and watching them, she can immediately tell they're both still pushing just a little bit too much chakra into their feet. She doesn't comment, and instead watches them fall to the ground again and again.  
'Kakashi?' she questions from her place at his side, she had sat there several hours earlier, and he hadn't commented. He doesn't comment now or even give any sign of having heard her.  
She lightly jostles him with her elbow, and his gaze turns to her, he doesn't speak, seemingly waits for her to say something.  
'It's getting dark, maybe we should go inside for dinner?' she suggests, Kakashi forces himself to nod in agreement, but he doesn't move from there, so Sakura moves to gather up the rest of her team, then she pulls Kakashi to his feet, ignores the feeling swirling in her stomach as she supports most of his weight and helps him get inside.  
She feels much too young to feel so responsible.


	4. Chapter 4

[[Link to Source of art]](http://architectofgods.deviantart.com/art/Beyond-death-516513382)  
[[Song]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3wKzyIN1yk)  
  
The next day, Kakashi tried his best to pull himself together.  
The two male genin of his team have yet to master walking up trees, and Kakashi is almost at a loss of what to do with Sakura.  
But something about how borderline useless he's been has stirred her into some sort of action, she seems at least a little determined to work harder to protect her team.  
He thinks back to her file, she was considered a Genjutsu type.  
Sakura stood patiently by his side as he thought, apparently aware he was truly there.  
'We'll work on your taijutsu,' Kakashi finally decides, speaking out loud, surprise shines in Sakura's eyes as she shoots him a curious look.  
Trying to think, Kakashi tries to keep his hands still as he speaks, 'I'm going to try to teach you to infuse your punches and kicks with chakra to make them cause more damage.'  
Sakura nods, pays absolute attention, Kakashi is surprised when a poorly aimed punch from Sakura nearly knocks a tree down less than an hour later.  
The pink haired female is certainly determined to succeed, muses Kakashi to himself as he wraps bandages around her knuckles.  
Perhaps he should have thought it out more.  
Naruto has paused his attempts to walk up his tree, 'Are you going to teach Sasuke and I that next?' he asks, bouncing on the spot.  
'No,' Kakashi shakes his head, tries to look calm and collected, and perhaps a little bored, 'I probably wont have time for that by time you've managed the tree climbing exercise.'  
With a huff Naruto turns away, muttering under his breath and shooting glares towards his black haired teammate.  
'You have good chakra control,' notes Kakashi to Sakura, 'when we return to the village, I'll find someone to teach you medical jutsu.'  
Immediately Sakura's gaze drops to her sensei's thighs, then she looks back to his eyes and offers up a sharp nod.  
Kakashi ignores this look and watches the two male genin of his team for several long minutes. He can't quite understand why anyone thought he'd make a good sensei, he has very little idea of what to do with his team.  
He isn't much more than a killer, he isn't a teacher of any kind.  
Sakura jostles his arm before he gets too lost in thoughts and he nods to her.  
  
\--------============---------  
Kakashi wonders when Sakura started keeping a journal, the journal looks worn, some of the pages loose, but this fact doesn't seem to bother Sakura.  
He can't quite read the small writing, but he can see enough of it to see how tidy it is.  
She seems intent on writing at least a pages worth.  
It's late into the night, Sasuke and Naruto are still out training, he kind of wonders if maybe he should be checking on them.  
Sakura's the first to move out of the pair of them, she closes the journal and quietly returns it to the room she's been staying in.  
It's been rather strange staying in the same room as all three of his genin, but there isn't a lot of space to the house.  
Sakura is silent as she follows Kakashi outside, both male genin are sound asleep, both leaned against the trunk of one tree, partially slumped against each other.  
The pink haired female smiles a little at the sight, tilts her head to look up at her sensei.  
Drawing in a deep breath, Kakashi quickly slings a Genin over each shoulder.  
'Meditating can help with your chakra reserves,' notes Kakashi to Sakura, she blinks in surprise, opens the front door for him.  
'You'll never have as much chakra as Sasuke or Naruto, but you can still improve what you have.'  
Sakura nods in agreement, noting to herself that Kakashi-sensei seems more put together today, she can't help but feel relief at this.  
  
\--------============---------  
  
The next morning Sakura writes in her journal while eating, ignoring Naruto as he tries to peer over her shoulder.  
'Sakura and I will be watching Tazuna at the bridge today,' Kakashi informs Naruto and Sasuke, 'you two can keep working on your chakra control.'  
Sasuke looks frustrated while Naruto seems more determined.  
Tazuna is quiet as he leads Kakashi and Sakura to the bridge, Sakura has a small bag slung over one shoulder, Kakashi had watched as she'd carefully tucked her journal into it.  
Three workers approach Tazuna to announce the fact they're quitting, Kakashi watches with a faint feeling of boredom, the bridge is coming along rather slowly, and he almost wishes Naruto had already been done with the tree climbing exercise, some Naruto clones would get this done fairly quickly.  
Sakura seems to be thinking the same thing, she and Kakashi quietly nod to each other.  
'We'll help,' offers Kakashi, moving forward to pick up a long plank of wood.  
Surprise lights up the workers eyes, and Sakura can't help but feel a stirring of pride in her stomach as she easily keeps up with them in terms of strength.  
Finally feeling like she's getting somewhere with her training.  
Kakashi's gaze starts to seem distant again as he works, and Sakura almost wants to punch him, keep his head firmly in the present.  
But she doesn't. They work without comment.


End file.
